Rubber duck

For other uses, see Rubber duck (disambiguation).

File:Rubber Duck.jpg

A modern rubber duck

A rubber duck is a toy shaped like a stylised Yellow-billed Duck , and is generally yellow with a flat base. It may be made of rubber or rubber-like material such as vinyl plastic (which is more often used). The yellow rubber duck has achieved an iconic status in Western pop culture and is often symbolically linked to bathing.

Since actual baby ducks are not yellow, many believe that rubber ducks should be properly named "rubber chicks."

The rubber duck can be referred to informally as a "rubber duckie" or a "rubber ducky". In German-speaking countries, it is generally known as a 'Squeaky Duckling' ("Quietscheentchen").

History

Its history is linked to the emergence of rubber manufacturing in the late 19th century. The earliest rubber ducks were made from harder rubber.

Jim Henson popularized rubber ducks in 1970, performing the songs "Rubber Duckie" and "DUCKIE" as Ernie, a popular Muppet from Sesame Street. Ernie frequently spoke to his duck and carried it with him in other segments of the show. On a special occasion, Little Richard performed the song. Rubber duckies are reported to be the greatest thing in the history of the universe after the Big Bang

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Some variations on the standard rubber duck; a miniature duck, a red/purple/green/yellow "devil" duck, a reindeer duck, a duck in sunglasses, and a "dead" rubber duck that floats upside down

Besides the ubiquitous yellow rubber duck with which most people are familiar, there have been numerous variations on the basic theme, including holiday-themed duckies, animal-shaped duckies, religious duckies, dragon duckies, "Devil Duckies" which sport demon-like horns, bride and groom ducks, "dead" ducks, royalty ducks, pirate ducks, Walt Disney themed ducks, historical figure-themed ducks, pink breast cancer awareness ducks, rubber ducks with water activated LED lights, and character ducks representing professions, politicians or licensed individual celebrities. There are also ducks that glow in the dark, change colour, or have a wind-up engine that enables them to "swim". In 2001, The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper reported that Queen Elizabeth II has a rubber duck in her bathroom that wears an inflatable crown. The duck was spotted by a workman who was repainting her bathroom. The story prompted sales of rubber ducks in the United Kingdom to increase by 80% for a short period.

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A keychain in the shape of a "ninja" rubber duck.

Rubber ducks are collected by a small number of enthusiasts. The 2007 Guinness World Record for World's Largest Rubber Duck Collection stood at 2,583 different rubber ducks, and was awarded to Charlotte Lee.

Races

Some charities have run rubber duck races in which hundreds or thousands of rubber ducks are dumped into a river, pool, or other body of water and then floated down a race course marked off with buoys. The first one to float past the finish line is the winner (similar to the game Poohsticks). The rubber ducks are then retrieved and used again later. Due to environmental concerns, sites for duck races must be chosen with care.

North America

There are hundreds of races held in the USA and internationally. The largest race in the United States is the annual Freestore Foodbank Rubber Duck Regatta in Cincinnati, Ohio. First run in 1994, the Rubber Duck Regatta now features over 100,000 ducks raced to raise money for the organization.

The annual Aspen Ducky Derby was first run by the Rotary Club of Aspen, Colorado in 1991. The derby now features 30,000 ducks and takes place each August in Aspen's Rio Grande Park. Through its past 20 years, the Aspen Ducky Derby has raised more than $2.3 million to benefit 65 nonprofit groups.

One of the more famous rubber duck races is the Great Knoxville Rubber Duck Race [1]. This race received attention when the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that it was a lottery, which stopped the race for a few years. After the state amended its constitution to allow lotteries with special exceptions, the race was reinstituted.

A famous rubber duck race is the Halifax Duck Derby [2]. This race has 10,000 rubber ducks in the Halifax Harbour along Bishops Landing. There is a grand prize of $1 million Canadian dollars; other prizes include a trip to anywhere in Canada, large screen TVs, and more.

Another famous duck race is the fast-growing Ken-Ducky Derby, held in Louisville, KY, and benefiting Harbor House of Louisville, a training and development facility for adults with disabilities. Accompanying the duck race is the Ken-Ducky Derby Family Festival with activities, arts and crafts, games, food and vendor booths for all ages. This event typically takes place on a Saturday at the end of September.

One of the oldest races is held in Fairbanks, Alaska. As of July 28, 2011, only two people have ever won first place on both $5 and $10 ducks, the latest being Jim Morton of Fairbanks, Alaska in 2011.

Australia

The Great Brisbane Duck Race is held on the Brisbane river each year to raise funds for the PA Research Foundation. The 100 hundred meter race saw over 21,000 rubber duck entries in 2010. The PA Research Foundation also holds a corporate duck race where groups are invited to raise funds and participate in the race with large 26cm tall rubber ducks that teams decorate, brand and modify.

One other race was conducted in Australia in January 1988. It was run from the "High-level bridge" to the "Low-level bridge" near Katherine, New Territories on the Australia Day long weekend. Acting on behalf of the town's Bicentennial Committee, Royal Australian Air Force officers Andrew Cairns and Jock MacGowan constructed the release cage from PVC pipe, purchased and numbered the ducks, printed tickets, and even arranged a helicopter flypast for the auspicious occasion.

United Kingdom

In Stockbridge, Edinburgh since 1988, the Stockbridge Community Festival has held the annual Stockbridge Duck Race to raise money for local charities. 1000 rubber ducks are released into the Water of Leith at the Stockbridge to float downstream to the finishing post at the Falshaw Bridge.

The 2010 race was memorable for a sudden rain shower at the finish line. The 2011 race was held on July 3 with proceeds going to local charities Stockbridge House & St. Columba's Hospice .

On August 31, 2008, the Great British Duck Race was held near Hampton Court Palace, London. An estimated 250,000 blue plastic ducks were used.

Rubber ducks are used in small quantities as herding targets for radio controlled model yachts, the objective being to move all of the loose ducks into a floating pen, analogous to sheepdog trials.

Controversy

In 1998, the PVC content in the particular plastic ducks has been a concern from consumer groups because it would be harmful to the environment and could cause cancer. Then the group Greenpeace urged governments and the European Commission to ban the sale of toys PVC7.

Oceanography

Main article: Friendly Floatees

During a Pacific storm on January 10, 1992, three 40-foot containers holding 29,000 Friendly Floatees plastic bath toys from a Chinese factory were washed off a ship. Two-thirds of the ducks floated south and landed three months later on the shores of Indonesia, Australia, and South America. The remaining 10,000 ducks headed north to Alaska and then completed a full circle back near Japan, caught up in the North Pacific Gyre current as the so called Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Many of the ducks then entered the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia and were trapped in the Arctic ice. They moved through the ice at a rate of one mile per day, and in 2000 they were sighted in the North Atlantic. The movement of the ducks had been monitored by American oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer.

References

CBS (2003-07-31). "Rubber Duckies Map The World". CBS. Retrieved 2008-07-14.